A year after Europe’s largest-ever anti-fur march, Norway is banning the practice of farming animals for fashion
A 2014 PETA exposé shed light on the nightmarish conditions at fur farms in Norway and several other countries where the International Fur Trade Federation’s “Origin Assured” label supposedly guarantees animals are treated humanely.
Their video “Cruelty Assured” shows exactly the opposite is true, with footage from all nine of the countries eligible to carry the label: Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the US.
The short film shows animals suffering from starvation, thirst and open, bloody wounds. Many of the animals go insane in their cages, and some are driven to self-mutilation and cannibalism. Dead animals are left to rot alongside their family members.
At the end of their miserable lives, the animals are often killed in gruesome ways including anal or vaginal electrocution.
Warning — video contains disturbing images:
The film inspired the largest European anti-fur march ever in 2016, with 13,000 Norwegians taking to the streets.
According to a statement released by the Norwegian animal rights group NOAH, the protestors voices were heard. The government is implementing a nationwide ban on the practice.
Although the full details of the ban have yet to be finalized, all fur farms in the country will reportedly be required to shut down by 2025.
Home to 300 farms, which breed and kill close to a million minks and foxes a year, Norway is one of the world’s top producers of fur for fashion.
Need an alternative to animal fur, down and wool to keep you warm this winter? Peta provides a list a of cruelty-free, environmentally friendly coats.
For example, this Patagonia jacket is insulated with high-tech, eco-friendly Thermogreen, an alternative to down, which keeps you warm even when wet:
